Police: Arrest made in stabbing death of Joyce Roth

Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. addresses the media during a press conference Tuesday, June 18, 2013 to announce the arrest of Dajuan Anthony Porter, 29, Harrisburg, who allegedly stabbed 87-year-old Joyce Roth to death inside a home in the 900 block of Byron Road in Derry Township last week. LEBANON DAILY NEWS - CHRIS SHOLLY

Dajuan Porter

HARRISBURG - A homicide. An arson. Seemingly unconnected crimes that took place on the same night in different municipalities. But in less than a week, a team of Dauphin County investigators put together these two key pieces of a puzzle to charge a suspect in the stabbing death of an elderly woman.

Dajuan Anthony Porter, 29, of Harrisburg was charged in connection with the stabbing death of 87-year-old Joyce Roth of Allentown around 3:25 a.m. June 10 in a house in the 900 block of Byron Road in Derry Township. His preliminary arraignment was held Tuesday morning.

aspx?docketNumber=MJ-12304-CR-0000250-2013">Porter faces charges with first-degree murder, arson, burglary, two counts of witness intimidation and two counts of retaliation against a witness/victim, Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. announced at a news conference Tuesday morning.

Porter was due in court on the day of Joyce Roth's murder for previous sexual assault charges, and Marsico said police believe Porter killed Roth in an attempt to thwart the prosecution.

"This murder occurred directly as a result of pending criminal charges (against Porter) in Dauphin County Court. He was facing several counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and was scheduled for trial last Monday, the morning of the murder," Marsico said.

For a murder case that seemed random at first, Marsico said, this one developed very quickly.

"Police began looking into the Roth family and realized that a relative was a victim of a crime, so they began looking into the aspects of that crime," he said.

Police then reached out to other victims, Marisco said.

"When they reached out to the other victims of Mr. Porter, they learned from another victim that his house had been set on fire about the same time of this murder," Marisco said. "That seemed to be beyond coincidental."

The sexual assault charges against Porter involved three victims: one at another person's home, one after a party and one in his own home. One of the three victims was a "blood relative" of Roth and previously had lived in the home in which the murder occurred, Marsico explained.

On the same night that Roth was stabbed, Lower Paxton Township police reported an arson that happened in the early morning hours.

"That arson was committed at the home of a second victim of Mr. Porter's alleged involuntary deviate sexual intercourse," Marsico added.

Last week, police asked the public to help them locate a blue pickup truck that was believed to have been used in the murder. Marsico said the owner of the truck has been cooperating with police and is not being charged with any crime. He said Porter borrowed the truck, but Marsico did not give details about how it was used.

Roth, who was in town visiting relatives to attend her great-grandchild's graduation, was stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife. Police said purses and wallets were missing from the house, and they said that she could have been the victim of an apparent burglary gone wrong.

On June 11, Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick ruled Roth's death a homicide, the first murder in the township since 2001.

The next day, on June 12, police arrested Porter on sexual assault charges. Since then, Porter has been held in the Dauphin County prison in lieu of $1 million bail.

With the filing of the new charges, Porter will be held without bail.

Marsico called the case "troubling," because "it strikes at the heart of the public justice system."

Derry Township police Chief Patrick O'Rourke Sr. said at Tuesday's news conference, "Advocates for victims of crime were very pleased today to be able to bring closure to the family of Mrs. Roth."

Porter's arrest is the result of a task force investigation led by the Derry Township Police Department, Marsico said.

O'Rourke praised the efforts of the investigative team that solved the crime quickly.

"It was comforting to me that we had such talent working this task force to bring this case to a closure," he said.

The task force includes members of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office, Harrisburg Bureau of Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Lower Paxton Township Police Department and Hampton Township Police Department of Cumberland County.

chrissholly@ldnews.com; 272-5611, ext. 151

Derry Township police Chief Patrick O'Rourke Sr. addresses the media Tuesday, June 18, 2013 during a press conference to announce the arrest of 29-year-old Dejuan Anthony Porter of Harrisburg who was arrested for allegedly stabbing to death 87-year-old Joyce Roth last week inside a home in the 900 block of Byron Road in Derry Township. LEBANON DAILY NEWS - CHRIS SHOLLY

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